President-Elect Donald Trump’s selection of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state indicates the next administration will be more focused on energy than perhaps any other in recent U.S. history. The choice, despite hand-wringing from Democratic critics such as former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, sends a clear signal to Congress, policymakers, and the world: Energy will be key to America’s economic growth and revival. –Jim Stinson, PoliZette, 13 December 2016
North America is turning into one of the world’s biggest energy powerhouses of the 21st century. —The American Interest, 1 December 2016
[The nomination of Scott Pruitt] signals clearly that Donald Trump will radically change direction on both climate and energy policy, which will have huge ramifications both for the US and also internationally. European countries will think very hard before they decide to go it alone yet again. The US is sitting on a hundred years worth of cheap oil and gas and I don’t see that this is going to change. Trump is in all likelihood going to accelerate that, and any country that thinks they can go green and ignore cheap energy will suffer economically. –Benny Peiser, BBC Radio Scotland, 8 December 2016
If you want a snapshot of what the global energy map will look like under President Donald Trump, look no farther than the stock market. Glencore Plc, the world’s top coal trader, surged more than 7 percent the day after the election. Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world’s biggest wind-turbine maker, plunged as much as 13 percent. The swing foretells a story of the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel making a comeback, while the fight against climate change — and investment in wind and solar power — languishes. “De-carbonization, which has been the organizing principle of Obama’s energy policy, came to a screeching halt last night,” said Bob McNally, president of consultant Rapidan Group in Washington and a former senior energy official at the White House under Republican President George W. Bush. —Associated Press, 8 December 2016
President-elect Donald Trump plans to select former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to lead the U.S. Department of Energy, according to the Associated Press and multiple other reports. As Texas governor from 2000 to 2015, Perry oversaw a natural gas and oil drilling boom, the state became the country’s top wind power producer, and coal-fired power generation thrived — even as other states decreased reliance on the energy source due to pollution concerns. Like Trump, Perry has said he is skeptical of climate change, despite overwhelming scientific evidence. –Luke Ramseth, Post Register, 13 December 2016
Donald Trump is set to pick yet another climate change sceptic for his next appointment, Ryan Zinke, who has been slammed by Greenpeace and is a massive fan of hunting. The Interior Department looks after managing around three-quarters of federal land and natural resources. —The Sun, 14 December 2016
For decades, America depended on the world for energy. Today, it’s becoming a global supplier of oil and natural gas in its own right. This year, for the first time ever, the U.S. started turning gas from prolific shale formations into liquefied natural gas (LNG) and sending it overseas. In 2017, the country may be exporting more of the heating fuel than it imports for the first year since the 1950s. The shale revolution has undoubtedly put America on a path to becoming a global gas powerhouse. The ability to find more buyers as U.S. capacity increases at a competitive price will dictate how dominant the U.S. will become as an energy power in 2017 and beyond. –Dave Merrill and Christine Buurma, Bloomberg, 30 November 2016
